This invention relates to industrial robots and more particularly to a gripping mechanism for pick and place type robots. The invention further is particularly adaptable to the types of robots illustrated in U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 48,006 filed on June 13, 1979, 127,482 filed on Mar. 5, 1980 and 186,638 filed on Sept. 12, 1980, assigned to the Thermwood Corporation of Dale, Ind.
In the prior art, there has been developed a type of industrial robot for gripping a workpiece at a first location, transporting the workpiece to one or more programmed locations and then positioning and releasing the workpiece at a desired rest position, commonly referred to as a pick and place robot. This type of robot usually is provided with a gripping mechanism which includes a pair of jaws for gripping the workpiece. The jaws normally are adapted to rotate about a transverse or X-axis, roll about a longitudinal or Y-axis and move toward and away from each other for gripping and releasing the workpiece.
Most gripping mechanisms in the prior art, however, have been found to be complicated in design, excessively heavy, thereby adversely affecting the dynamic characteristics of the robot and unduly complicating the programming requirements for the robot control system, expensive to manufacture, and imprecise in performance. It, therefore, has been found to be desirable to provide an improved gripping mechanism for pick and place type industrial robots.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved gripping mechanism for industrial robots.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved gripping mechanism for pick and place type industrial robots.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved gripping mechanism for a pick and place type industrial robot wherein the jaws thereof are adapted to operate independently or simultaneously for gripping a workpiece, pivotally displacing the workpiece while it is held by the jaws and releasing the workpiece.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved gripping mechanism for industrial robots which is comparatively simple in design and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved gripping mechanism for an industrial robot which is comparatively lightweight and adaptable to precision control.